HEART DISEASE
VS. OTHER CHEST PAIN

January 1, 2010

Q:
I am a young male, 30, and live a healthy lifestyle (running, biking, etc.),
with no family history of heart disease. About 26 months ago, I saw a doctor for
recurrent chest pain. They did all the standard test for heart disease and found
nothing. Just to be sure, I was sent to a heart specialist, who did more tests,
and again found no heart disease (last test was about 22 months ago). Doctors
told me that the pain is likely due to stress incurred during grad school. The
pain has slowly decreased and I have not had it for several months. Does this
disqualify me for health insurance?

A:
No; as you learned, not all chest pain is an indication heart disease that is
routinely screened by health insurance companies as a pre-existing medical
condition.